World-changers welcome: Create the digital future

When it comes to computer science, demand for graduate talent is far outstripping supply.

In the US, there are close to 10 times more computing jobs available in 2017 than there were computer science graduates in 2015. By 2020, the White House predicts there will be 1.4 million computer science-related jobs available, but only around 400,000 graduates with computer science degrees and required skill.

No field of study has experienced the same growth in span and general application as computer science in the last two decades. Being able to calculate and use algorithms to process information and transform data in computers will soon come highly useful to pretty much every industry.

As data shows, common career pathways like IT consultancy, information system management, database administration and multimedia programming are opening in abundance.

In the face of massive technological change as the Fourth Industrial Revolution approaches, it will be a long time before this demand wanes.

From building robot waiters to working in investment banks, people who study computer science will be at the forefront of the next technological innovations and necessities.

The search engine you probably couldn’t picture the internet without – Google – is the work of Larry Page and Sergey Brin, both of whom are world-standard computer science alums.

Source: Shutterstock

And so are many people behind the products and services so many of us depend on, including Netflix Co-Founder Reed Hastings, father of Java programming language, James Gosling, and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer.

These success stories show one thing to be true: the future is undeniably digital.

And with more and more industries recognising this, computer science graduates can find a world of opportunities open to them once they’ve earned their scrolls (sometimes, even before!).

In addition to the wide range of job options, the profession is highly lucrative. Those who study computer science tend to earn a lot of money. Silicon Valley’s pay packages for such top talents are well-known.

And when it comes to early career pay – ie. five years or less of experience – a master’s in computer science beats an MBA in national median earnings, according to US online salary database PayScale.com.

The verdict is clear: a computer-science education is one of the most viable and lucrative career paths available to young people today.

Take your first step on this bright path by enrolling in these computer science schools:

FACULTY OF COMPUTING AND ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Located in the Finnish city of Tampere is this innovative, international and multi-disciplinary faculty of computing and electrical engineering. Here, a talented community of faculty and staff help students and researchers thrive in a dynamic, academic setting.

Here, those proficient in Finnish can pursue the MSc Programme in Information Technology or Electrical Engineering.

Those seeking English-medium Masters can choose from the nine programmes on offer, including Data Engineering and Machine Learning, Factory Automation and Robotics, Communication Systems and Networks, etc.

Tampere is also the place to be to pursue high-quality postgraduate education and conduct research under the supervision of experienced scientists. Dr Petros Karamanakos, a current PhD candidate at the faculty, is one such man.

Source: Tampere University of Technology

His illustrious academic career includes winning the 2014 Third Best Paper Award of the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications, as well as the First Prize Paper Award of the Industrial Drives Committee at the 2013 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition.

Today, his main research interests lie at the intersection of optimal control, mathematical programming and power electronics.

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

This Ivy League school needs no introduction. Established in 1754, Columbia University has produced a stream of students and faculty with impressive track records in many scholarly and professional fields.

This includes its award-winning Department of Computer Science, where its research strengths lie in several areas – such as vision and computer graphics, computer and network security, networks, machine learning, computer architecture and natural language processing.

Over the last few years, its computer science classes have been so popular that the school has implemented a strict policy to no longer open them for non-computer science students. It has also added courses specifically-designed to make computer science accessible to the wider student population, such as Computing in Context and Introduction to Computing for Engineers and Applied Scientists.

Postgraduate studies are available here too, with the MS In Computer Science Programme, Dual MS in Journalism and Computer Science and various PhD programmes.

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

Just slightly over 50 years old, the Department of Science at the University of Toronto (UoT) has amassed a world-class network of faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends.

Ranked among the top computer science departments worldwide and first in Canada, there is a tremendous selection of courses and programmes on offer, including a multidisciplinary option to collaborate with UoT’s Faculty of Arts and Science.

It’s home to the award-winning Bahen Centre for Information Technology, a state-of-the-art base for computer science students on campus.

At Toronto, master and doctorate students not only get to partake in the most comprehensive programmes available and publish research, but also attend conferences abroad with internationally-acclaimed faculty in all areas of computer science.

Alumni have gone on to be university vice-chancellors and engineers at companies like Google, Xerox and Vodafone.

Source: Royal Holloway University

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE, ROYAL HOLLOWAY UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

One of the oldest computer science departments in the world, Royal Holloway University of London has contributed significantly to the major advances in this discipline.

Its academic prowess can be seen from the recognition given in the 2018 Times Higher Education World University Rankings for Computer Science, which ranked Royal Holloway 17th in the UK, 126-150 in the World.

Naturally, computer science graduates from Royal Holloway leave their Surrey campus with a deep understanding of computing as a science. Many also graduate with industry experience as all programmes at Royal Holloway come with an optional (paid) industrial placement (internship).

Many students have secured placements with companies like Data Reply, D4t4 Solutions, Gamesys and QuintilesIMS, to name a few. This includes a large majority of international learners who have subsequently secured sponsorship sponsored to remain working in the UK.

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS, UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE

For more than 50 years, the School of Computing and Information Systems at the University of Melbourne has been part of the technology revolution taking place all around us. Leading the way in both teaching and research, undergraduates and graduates are trained in the full spectrum of computing and information technology.

Whether you have prior computing knowledge or not, its undergraduate majors – provided through the Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Design degrees – are built to be accessible for all.

This school’s Master of Science (Computer Science) programme lets students participate in a substantive research project in their field of choice, in addition to a wide range of coursework subjects such as a professional skills component, as a pathway to PhD study or to the workforce.

Industry input is integral to its curriculum as a variety of industry partners, including governments and commercial businesses, provide continuous input on how to teach the subject, as well as hosting Masters students at their companies or mentoring students on a fortnightly basis.

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International

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